And the Fire and Rescue Service has warned that as the Island’s population increases and urbanisation continues, there is a threat that the fire rate will spiral higher, with the growing number of elderly Islanders particularly at risk of being hurt or killed in a blaze.
The service has published a report which sets out its challenges between 2017 and 2020 and explains how it plans to cut costs and reduce inefficiencies.
Figures contained in the Integrated Management Plan show that since 2008, the number of fires dealt with by the service has increased, with a total of 1,166 attended in the past five years. Of those, 268 were fires in the home. There were 168 fires in other buildings and 730 other fires recorded, making an average of 4.5 fires dealt with every week, according to the report.
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